As he spoke, Wei Ming began to laugh again. “But honestly, all this is more than enough to satisfy me. I really should make a commemorative plaque for you, to burn incense day and night.”
His gratitude towards his best friend, Haozi, was overflowing. Without Haozi acting as the matchmaker, Wei Ming, a total gaming otaku, would have found it incredibly difficult to take that first step.
“Heh… Just remember to offer me a cigarette now and then.”
Yang Haoran winked and made a face. Wei Ming laughed and cursed at him good-naturedly before their conversation inevitably turned to women. Wei Ming did most of the talkingβabout how soft a girl’s hands were, how sweet and fragrant her little mouth tasted, how incredibly pleasurable the experience was, so much so that he could forget all his cares.
Yang Haoran simply smiled, listening quietly, satisfying his best friend’s need to share.
Men’s conversations always seem to circle back to the opposite sex, especially during those hormone-fueled adolescent years.
If a guy can’t talk about these things, it’s usually a sign the friendship isn’t that deep yet.
It wasn’t until the class bell rang that the two of them sluggishly made their way back to the classroom.
This period was English class. The only downside was that the English teacher was a rather plain-looking middle-aged woman, not exactly easy on the eyes.
Yang Haoran had all those English vocabulary words committed to memory. His appearance of listening attentively was so convincing that the English teacher, noticing him for once, actually called his name and asked him to read aloud a short English story she had just gone over.
Yang Haoran’s outstanding performance won the teacher’s approval, and sheη€Ίζ the whole class to give him a round of warm applause.
Teaching is always like this. When a student shows improvement, teachers always employ some method to stimulate the desire to learn. It’s an old trick, but it works, enduring through the ages.
After three days apart, one should look at a person with new eyes. Even Han Lili’s impression of Yang Haoran improved considerably. She had originally been thinking of advising her boyfriend Wei Ming to keep his distance from Yang Haoran!
After English class came several more periods. When Gu Qingying taught Chinese class, she didn’t pay any special attention to Yang Haoran. It seemed the previous conversation between teacher and student hadn’t affected her.
Yang Haoran finally gave up hope; it seemed the teacher truly didn’t take it to heart.
After school ended at noon, Wei Ming, as usual, invited Yang Haoran to his house for lunch. Yang Haoran pretended he had something else to do and told Wei Ming to go on without him.
Yang Haoran had initially felt a little bad about it, until he saw the damn Mingzi cheerfully agree and turn to leave, with Han Lili seemingly falling into step beside him.
Yang Haoran could only curse under his breath about friends ditching friends for a pretty face. Little Mingzi was probably worried that now that he had landed a beauty, he’d instantly push his friend aside like a hot brick, so he felt obligated to extend the invitation out of politeness, just for form’s sake.
Human nature, damn you, Dog Mingzi!
After politely declining Wei Ming, Yang Haoran caught a meaningful glance from Ji Youxi. He followed behind her at a distance until they were out of the school grounds, then quickly caught up and walked beside her.
Yang Haoran asked casually, as if it were nothing, “Youxi, what’s your mom’s personality like?”
Inside, he was far from as calm as he appeared. Meeting the parents inevitably made one nervous.
Ji Youxi looked at him meaningfully. “Are you trying to ask if she’s difficult to get along with?”
Called out again, Yang Haoran felt somewhat awkward. Ji Youxi’s serene voice sounded by his ear: “My mother is a attending physician at a Tier 3η² hospital. Doctors are always kind and amiable to their patients, but that doesn’t necessarily apply to you. It’s not a useful reference.”
“She’s usually very busy with work. I’ve already sent her a message telling her to wait for us at home.”
As they chatted, they walked to the bus stop. Understanding the special relationship between the mother and daughter, Yang Haoran didn’t find Ji Youxi’s words strange at all.
“Did you tell your mom you were bringing your boyfriend home to meet her?” Yang Haoran asked curiously.
“Why would I tell her? She doesn’t get to manage my affairs,” Ji Youxi stated frankly. “I’m the one who manages her. Her daily social interactions have to be reported to me.”
Yang Haoran was intensely curious about the situation between Ji Youxi and her mother. He didn’t know what methods Ji Youxi had employed to reverse their positions.
He asked, “That photo of the hotel you sent me last timeβdid your mother do something wrong?”
“I suppose I can tell you,” Ji Youxi said, her delicate jawline tilting up slightly. “She wanted to attend an old classmates’ reunion. I disagreed. She went secretly, thinking I wouldn’t find out.”
“Attending a class reunion isn’t such a big deal, is it?” Yang Haoran found it strange. Did Ji Youxi really control her mother so strictly?
Ji Youxi shot him a glare, her rosy, thin lips parting like a flower. “Her wanting to attend the reunion was just a pretext. What she really wanted was to see her old flame.”
“It’s not necessarily that my mother wanted to rekindle an old romance. Like she said, she just wanted to see him one time. But do you think I should give her that opportunity?”
“Even if my mother truly had no such intentions, what about that man? My mother is a great beauty. Later, I saw their chat history. It seemed like they were just talking about old school days, but it was really an attempt to stir up my mother’s fond memories of the past.”
Yang Haoran listened quietly. Her gentle voice was melodious and pleasant, as if she were telling a story. He unconsciously became immersed in it.
If his own mother wanted to go see an old flame, he definitely wouldn’t give her the opportunity either.
But thankfully, his dad was his mom’s first love. They were a couple who went from campus to the wedding altar.
Just then, a bus slowly pulled up to the stop. Ji Youxi glanced at the route number and walked straight towards the open door. Yang Haoran hurriedly followed.
The bus wasn’t very crowded, with passengers of all ages. Yang Haoran, acting as if it were the most natural thing in the world, took Ji Youxi’s fair, small hand. When she looked over at him, he said nonchalantly, “Youxi, let’s sit in the back.”
Speaking as if it were settled, he pulled Ji Youxi along. A strange expression flashed across Ji Youxi’s face, but she didn’t pull her hand away. A faint smile even played on her lips.
The two of them sat down in a pair of seats at the back. Yang Haoran had Ji Youxi sit by the window while he took the aisle seat. He continued to hold Ji Youxi’s soft, small hand, pretending not to notice as he kept talking with her.
During their quiet conversation, Yang Haoran also learned where Ji Youxi livedβinside the First Ring Road of the city center. This bus went directly there.
However, halfway there, Yang Haoran pulled Ji Youxi off the bus and into a shopping mall. He bought a fruit basket and other gifts. It just wouldn’t feel right showing up empty-handed for the first visit.
Even though Ji Youxi said it wasn’t necessary, Yang Haoran would have been too embarrassed.
His skin was thick, but he still understood basic social etiquette.
Though Ji Youxi complained it was a hassle, watching him busily carefully selecting gifts, occasionally asking for her opinion, the serene smile never left her face.
Clearly, she might not care, but if Yang Haoran had truly been a blockhead and shown up empty-handed, even if Ji Youxi didn’t say anything, her mother’s first impression of him would likely have been poor.
Laden with bags of gifts, large and small, Yang Haoran and Ji Youxi waited for another bus and rode it all the way to the Yulong Bay stop.